GIANTS: Nicks hopes third return is the charm

New York Giants' Hakeem Nicks (88) is helped off the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

EAST RUTHERFORD — Hakeem Nicks hopes the third time is the charm. Because with an 0-2 count he doesn’t want to strikeout in his bid to return to the Giants lineup this week.

“My mentality is that I’m playing,” Nicks told the media who wanted to know yesterday if he’ll be injury-free by Sunday and able to return to the field when the 3-2 Giants visit the 4-1 49ers in a much anticipated early-season showdown that is a repeat of last year’s NFC title game.

“We’ll see tomorrow (today). Tomorrow will be a deciding factor,” Nicks continued. “Hopefully that answers all the questions I’ve been asking. Right now, I’m just going through the course and stuff like that. It’s still a matter of me just getting back out there.”

Yesterday Nicks participated in workouts, but only in individual drills, something he has done the last three weeks. He spends one day a week working with the offense, and usually that’s Friday.”

Advertisement

When coach Tom Coughlin was aksed if Nicks is ready to return he responded “he’s got another day.”

Nicks has been down this road the past two weeks, twice claiming he was ready to play only to get to the field Sunday and learn he was on the inacive list.

Yesterday he didn’t want to jinx himself by discussing the ankle and knee injuries that have kept him off the field for three games already. “I’m not trying to talk about injuries too much,” he said.

After missing most of training camp in August he sat out three of the four preseason games as he tried to rehab a surgically-repaired foot he originally injured in spring mini camp.

Nicks returned for the season-opening loss to Dallas here, but 10 days later hurt his knee in a Week 2 victory over Tampa Bay. In that game he caught 10 passes for a career-best 199 yards. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for that performance.

Since then he has been inactive for three weeks - the longest time he’s spent off the field. This is the third time in his four seasons with the Giants he has been active - but the first two times it was for only two weeks.

Coughlin says he’s impressed how much Nicks has worked in team meetings prior to practices.

“He’s into it,” Coughlin said. “He’s in every meeting and listens to every comment made about the other receivers, the guys at his position.

“He studies the tape. He’s done all of those things. Has he repped every route? No.”

But that could come today.”

“I went out there trying to see if I was showing any favoritism (to the injuries),” said Nicks said. “I wasn’t trying to see if I was catching every pass. It was just a matter of if I was compensating. I felt pretty good today, so it wasn’t really up for me to decide.

“ I need to go out there tomorrow (today) and have a full practice. If I go through that, it’ll be good,” added the Giants No. 1 pick in 2009.

“There’s a reason he’s a starter,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says of Nicks. “You see the contribution he’s capable of making when you see Tampa Bay, that’s the difference. The other guys have filled in admirably.

“We’re very proud to see what Ramses (Barden) did for a couple of games, what Rueben (Randle) did this past game,” said Gilbride. “Domenik (Hixon) has been unbelievable all season long.

“A lot of the things that maybe people on the outside don’t see, not only the terrific catches, but his blocking, his route running, some of the things he’s done have been phenomenal. I’m proud of them all, but you always want your best players, when you get your starters to come back. The more you have there, the more difficult it is for people to matchup.

“Some of the advantages that they may have in certain spots, maybe they start swinging in your favor,” said the Giants offensive guru. “To get him back would be great.

“Just getting him back is one thing. What level is he able to play at, is the other,” added Gilbride. “That’s what we’ll have to wait and see.